Jesuscare

Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court which upheld President Obama’s health care law (the Affordable Care Act) created many knee-jerk reactions and divisive responses. I wondered how Jesus might respond to the ruling so I wrote a reflection for Busted Halo. Here’s an excerpt:

“The gospels have countless stories of Jesus healing ordinary strangers. The United States has more than 311 million people and we are strangers to most of them. So why should we care about providing them proper health care? Because Jesus cared about people he never personally knew. He gave them dignity. He touched them and removed their stigmas. Hundreds of strangers came up to him seeking his care. Friends and family of the sick brought people to him, even through the roof of a house. And he never turned people away because they were already sick. Jesus said, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do” (Luke 5:31).

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“Jesus would have understood the importance of civil authorities who aligned with the gospel values of caring for neighbor and bringing justice through mercy and love. Government coheres a large group of people so that they can contribute to the common good of the group. The Church today prays regularly for civil authorities to enact laws and make decisions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Governments are made up of human beings — people like you and me — and they are in a place of affecting positive change. This should first and foremost be rooted in a spirit of human concern for the underprivileged and the dignity of all persons. Health care is a right, not a privilege. This means that no one should be without it.”